Bald men in Japan hold annual competition to celebrate baldness

More than 30 bald men gathered in northern Japan on Wednesday to show off their hairless heads at an annual game night.

Members of the Bald Men's Club in Tsuruta City, in Japan's northern prefecture of Aomori, took turns in competing in a unique game of tug-of-war by attaching suction pads onto their heads.

This year marked the 29th event ever since the club's inauguration in 1989, which now has more than 65 members from all over the country.

The club's motto is to "view baldness in a positive manner, to have fun, and to brighten the world with our shiny heads," according to its website.

64-year-old Masatomo Sasaki, who was a first-time participant at the tournament, said he used to feel insecure about his baldness but not anymore.

“I feel proud, or maybe I should say I feel good about being a bald man. And that is thanks to this bald men’s club,” Sasaki said.

But making bald men feel secure about them isn’t the club’s only aim. The club’s chairman, Teijiro Sugo, said he hoped that the gathering will turn into an Olympic event one day.